'Refusal To Surrender Gives Hope': Iranians Back Delegation After Failed Peace Talks

Last Updated:April 12, 2026, 19:16 IST

US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad collapse, casting doubt on a fragile ceasefire, US blames Iran for rejecting terms, Iranian leaders and citizens vow defiance and demand respect.

A day after the US-Iran peace talks failed, there has been a mixture of disappointment and defiance among the Iranians.

On Sunday, US Vice President JD Vance announced the ceasefire negotiations between Washington and Tehran had failed to produce an outcome acceptable to both sides.

The talks in Islamabad marked the highest-level meeting between Iran and the US since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

“We have been at it for 21 hours, and we had several discussions with Iranians; we have not reached an agreement, and that is bad news for Iran more than it is bad news for the USA", he said.

Vance said the Iranian side “chose not to accept" conditions tabled by the US.

The failure of the peace talks have cast doubt over the future of a fragile two-week ceasefire, due to expire on April 22.

Meanwhile, the Iranians, who have been living in total internet blackout for over a month since the start of the war, have expressed disappointment over the failure of the talks.

Associated Press quoted a 43-year-old Iranian, Farhad Simia, saying that he had hoped for successful negotiations and an end to the fighting, but stood with Iran despite the failure of the talks.

“I’m against war. I think negotiation is the better path," he said while blaming the “inappropriate demands" by the US.

Another resident, Mehdi Hosseini, echoed similar views and said: “Considering the advantage Iran seemed to have on the battlefield, there was a real concern that we might lose all those gains in the negotiations.

“Whether the talks succeed or not is one matter, but the fact that the Iranian negotiating team managed to preserve what it achieved in the war, while refusing to back down and surrender, gives reason for hope," he further said.

According to Associated Press, the streets of Tehran were lined up with large Iranian flags and giant billboards glorifying the country’s leaders and military achievements.

One of the boards depicted Iranian men in uniform with a fishing net out of the sea with a catch of miniature-sized US military aircraft and warships. “The Strait Remains Closed," the billboard read.

55-year-old Hamid Haghi said: “We are a nation of dialogue and negotiation as long as our interests are respected. We have never sought war. We will stand firm to the end, we are ready to sacrifice our lives, and will not give them one inch of our land."

After the Iran peace talks failed, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, meanwhile, said that the United States was “unable to win Iran’s trust" during high-level peace talks in Pakistan.

Ghalibaf, who took part in the Islamabad discussions, issued his first detailed statement after the talks concluded, saying the US delegation had failed to build confidence with Tehran despite what he described as constructive Iranian proposals.

In posts on X, he said he had made clear before the talks that Iran had “good faith and will" but no trust in the other side due to past conflicts. “The opposing side ultimately failed to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation in this round of negotiations," he wrote.

“America has understood our logic and principles, and now it’s time for it to decide whether it can earn our trust or not?" the Iranian Parliament Speaker added.

News world 'Refusal To Surrender Gives Hope': Iranians Back Delegation After Failed Peace Talks

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